Technical Designer, Exchange students trip

to Iceland

Marts 2019 Next Uddannelse København

Table of contents Technical Designer, Exchange students trip to Iceland 1

Teaching at Tekniskólinn skóli atvinnulífsins 4

Building and construction students 5

Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Station 7

Perlan museeum 9

Wonders of Iceland Exhibition 9

Planetarium 10

Lava Center Island 11

The creation of Iceland 11

Fiery Heart of Iceland 11

Volcanos of Island 12

Gullfoss 13

History 14

Geyser 15

Geography 15

Nearby Attractions 16

History 16

How to get to Geysir 17

Day trip Sunday 24 of March 18

Dyrhólaey 18

Skógafoss 18

Sólheimajökull 19

Gljúfrafoss 19

Reynisdrangar 20

Architecture in Reykjavik 21

The cathedral in Reykjavik 21

Alþingishúsið 22

Harpa 22

Maritime school 23

Heilsugæslustöðin - Reykjavik Health Center 24

Háteigskirkja – church in Reykjavik 25

EFLA 26

About EFLA 26

EFLA’s projects 27

Visit at EFLA 27

Mannvit 28

About Mannvit 28

Our CSR 28

Carbon neutral 28

UN Global Compact 28

Mannvit’s projects 29

Visit at Mannvit 29

Arkís 30

About Arkís 30

Standards 30

Arkís’s projects 32

Visit at Arkís 32

Þingvellir 33

Toponymy 33

History 34

Founding of Iceland's parliament 34

From commonwealth to foreign rule 35

Social centrex 36

Nationalist symbol 37

Teaching at Tekniskólinn skóli

atvinnulífsins

Our first day we met our contact person and teacher Bogi,

he gave us a tour around the school, where we saw the

different classrooms. For example hairdressers, computer

science, electrics, painters and technical drawers is together

at the school. The school had to take extra students in for a

while because a department had problems with forearmed.

But it was not something we noticed as a problem. The

school had a really good canteen where they served

different kinds of sandwiches and a today’s hot dish; there

often was fresh fish.

The two students there are studying technical designer, production, got at project to draw a

hydraulic bottle cap; this was something they worked on both weeks, because it is

comprehensive.

Picture of Viktor’s workday 3.

Picture of the school, taken from visit at

the Hallgrims church next by the school.

Picture of past projects from the students

at the school.

Building and construction students The first day we got teaching in Iceland’s

underground and what the in the building

business should take account of because of

their terrain. In Iceland their underground is

rock because it is a volcano island and their

buildings should also withstand the risk of

earthquake. After Bogis presentation he had

made a video of how to draw a foundation of

a building in Revit they would use in Iceland.

We used a couple of days to draw

foundations and detail drawings of those. Our

foundations were building up by concrete

and rebar. I think I can speak for every ones

behalf, when I say that to lean how

they build the foundation here is

really interesting because they have

a totally different climate there

makes their building process very

different from ours in Denmark.

Later in the first week Bogi sent us a

finished drowned house in Revit,

which we exported and opened up in

a program called Lumion, there is a 3D rendering program. It was the first time we had used it,

and the program had a lot of tools to make the house presentable. Lumion can make real-life

environments around and inside they constructed house and export photos or walk though

videos. For example it is possible to edit the landscape around, edit the season, lighting and so

on, you could also put in objects and materials. Friday in the first week we also experienced a

fire evacuation, because some persons threw firework in a classroom. The evacuation took a

bit longer than I have experienced I Denmark, because people had to take coats and so on with

them, because of the extreme weather at Iceland.

The pictures show the students work from the first days of

working with foundations.

In the second week of our stay we used two days at

visiting companies. We also used two days in the „furture

room“ at the school, which is a workroom where there is a

lot of different tools and machines, and the students

across study can work together at projects. We got to use

3D printers, a laser-cutting machine where we cut in wood

or Plexiglas, foil cutter and heat presser machine where we make tote bags.

The last school day we made our unfinished work, some made their foundation drawings, some

3D printed and some rendered their video in Lumion. The last day we should have teaching in

calculation in construction, but unfortunately our fly company was declared bankrupt so we

use a lot of time at figuring out how we could come home, and talking with our insurance.

Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Station

The Hellisheiði heat and power plant

is located on Hengill volcano in

southern Iceland, it is the largest

power station in Iceland and the

second largest geothermal power

station in the world. It was created

to provide alectricity to the city of

Reykjavik as there is an increasing

demand. Only 11 km separate the

Hellisheidar geothermal plant from Nesjavellir, which is the second largest geothermal

power in Iceland.

Underneath the volcano Hengill there is a magma chamber where the magma heats up the

surrounding water to 300 °C, this is a high temperature area where they have drilled down to 3

km.

It is really expensive to drill this deep so

they have done a lot of research

beforehand, to figure out if they can drill

other places to around 1,5 to 2 km deep

and still find the same temperature this is

what they do most often, as the average

depth is 2 km. They get a mix of water and

steam from these boreholes, but all the

way down at 2 km the water is still liquid

even though its 300 °C. but at the surface

there is a lot lower pressure, so the water travels upwards and a part of it turns into

steam.

Image 1

Image 2

Then they separate the water from the steam in big containers called steam separators, the

steam continues into seven big turbines (Image 1), which produce 303 megawatts of

electricity.

If you compare geothermal energy to other energy sources like nuclear power stations and

hydroelectric power stations 303 MW is not a lot of electricity, as an example the largest

hydroelectric power station in Iceland is producing 690 MW which is already more than double

the amount of electricity than Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Station. This means that they will

not be able to compete in electricity production, that’s the reason they also use the station for

house heating.

80% of the electricity being produced in Iceland is being sold to big industry. Since Iceland is an

island they have to get the electricity from Iceland to the mainland if they want to sell it, but

they don’t have underwater cables to transfer the electricity directly and there is not a lot of

Icelandic companies that need a lot of electricity. This means that they have to import the

consumers, this is done by selling the electricity very cheaply so the big industry consumers

build their facilities on Iceland and then they export their product. As an example the largest

industry in Iceland is aluminum production. They are selling the electricity so cheaply that they

are importing the bauxite which aluminum is made from all the way from Australia to Iceland.

A lot of Iceland is against selling all their electricity to aluminum production, so the goal for

Hellisheiði heat and power plant in the future is to sell the electricity to greener industries.

They are looking into alga production, which can be used for fish farming and livestock, and

maybe even for human consumption because it is a really good source for omega 3 fatty acids.

Alga production needs both hot and cold water which the station can also supply. Data mining

and bitcoin mining is also being looked into as another industry to sell the electricity to

because they need a lot of electricity and Iceland is a very cold country which is good for the

hardware used in data mining and it is a safe country. The power plant is not emitting any

gasses, most geothermal power stations emits H2S and CO2, but at Hellisheiði power station

they are capturing the gasses and reinjection them into the bedrock so they are only releasing

water vapors. So the long-term goal for Hellisheiði power plant is to be as green as possible.

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Perlan museeum

Wonders of Iceland Exhibition At Perlan Museeum, we saw the amazing exhibition

called “Wonders Of Iceland”. The exhibition was an

exciting tour of the phenomenal icelandic nature,

including the animal life, the volcanos, the glaciers and

the mighty forces of nature which formed the island of

Iceland, as we know it today. There were multiple

drop-in cinemas, showing footage of both the local

animal species as well as the eruption of volcanos. We

also had saw some interesting interactive animations

explaining the creation and formation of Iceland, and which role the volcanos has played in

this matter.

At the site, there is an ice tunnel, which is giving visitors an experience of what a glacier is

made of. The tunnel itself has a temperature of approximately -15 degrees celcius, and is

man made. There are different variations of ice, which with the help of colored lights,

contributes to making it a more real-life experience of an actual glacier.

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Planetarium At Perlan museum, we also had the chance to experience two amazing films in their

planetarium. The first film was about the beautiful and breathtaking northern lights, also

known as Aurora. The film was built as around its main character “Aurora”, which was also

the narrator of the film. Seeing the northern lights and hearing the story of this wonder of

nature was truly a fantastic experience.

The second movie was about the beautiful Icelandic nature and many of its features and

landscapes. Definitely worthwhile and amazing opportunities experience these wonders.

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Lava Center Island

The creation of Iceland The pocket of magma that sits beneath

Iceland is thought to be what created

the island, as hot lava rose to the

surface of the ocean, where it cooled

and gradually accumulated into an island beginning about 70 million years ago The evolution

of the island continues through the same processes that created it, with volcanoes erupting

every so often and new fissure appearing along their slopes.

Iceland sits smack dab on the front lines of the battle between pieces of the Earth's crust

that move around and cause earthquakes and volcanoes as they slide past, under and over

each other. The small European nation is situated on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a seam in the

Earth's surface under the North Atlantic Ocean where the Eurasian and North American

plates slide apart.

The Ridge includes a deep rift valley that runs along its axis, from which magma from Earth's

roiling mantle, or the slab of material just below the planet's outer layer called the crust,

seeps upward and erupts from the seafloor as lava. That lava hardens into new crust atop

the two diverging plates. The plates move apart along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge an average of

about 1 inch per year (2.5 centimeters per year), or 15.5 miles (25 km) in a million years.

Fiery Heart of Iceland Island was created by magma flowing from the core of the world to the crust, as seen on the

picture. The magma rises under the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, but the magma up-flow is strongest

in the central areas of the country. That is where we can observe an additional source of

magma – a powerful mantle plume. The hottest area of rising mantle rock is at a depth of

100-700 km, where the rock melts to some extent, which creates Iceland‘s fiery heart. When

you visit the Lava center and enter the room where you see the fiery heart, you can hear a

deep rumbling. These rumblings are tremurs due to magma movements during the

Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010. The frequency have however been altered to suit the

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human ears, since the sound would

be so deep and loud that it would be

so comfortable to hear.

Volcanos of Island The volcanoes of Iceland include a

high concentration of active ones

due to Iceland's location on the mid-

Atlantic Ridge, a divergent tectonic plate boundary, and its location over a hot spot. Iceland

has hundreds of volcanoes with about 30 active volcanic systems. Of these 30 active volcanic

systems, the most active/volatile is Grímsvötn. Over the past 500 years, Iceland's volcanoes

have erupted a third of the total global lava output.

Laki

The most fatal volcanic eruption of Iceland's history was the so-called Skaftáreldar (fires of

Skaftá) in 1783-84, The eruption was in the crater row Lakagígar (craters of Laki) southwest

of Vatnajökull glacier. The craters are a part of a larger volcanic system with the subglacial

Grímsvötn as a central volcano roughly a quarter of the Icelandic nation died because of the

eruption, most died not because of the lava flow or other direct effects of the eruption, but

from indirect effects, including changes in climate and illnesses in livestock in the following

years caused by the ash and poisonous gases from the eruption, the 1783 eruption in

Lakagígar is thought to have erupted the largest quantity of lava from a single eruption in

historic times.

Eyjafjallajökull 2010

Though a relatively small eruption, the 2010 eruption of Eyjafjallajökull was notable for

causing enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe over a period

of six days in April 2010. About 20 countries closed their airspace to commercial jet traffic

and it affected approximately 10 million travellers

Grímsvötn

Grímsvötn is a basaltic volcano and it has the highest frequency of all the volcanos in Iceland

in eruptions. Most of it activities has been subglacial which has casued glaciers. This volcano

has created the famous glacier outburst known as Jökulhlaup.

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Hekla

Hekla is a stratovolcano and is one of Iceland most active volcanos. It has over 20 eruptions

and it started erupting in year 874. During the middelages, the Eurpeans called it Gateway to

hell. Hekla has covered most of Iceland with tephra, which can be seen on the ground today.

It has produced the largest volume of lava of any other volcanos in the world.

Gullfoss

Gullfoss (translated to ‘Golden Falls’) is one of Iceland’s most iconic and beloved waterfalls,

found in the Hvítá river canyon in southwest Iceland.

The water in Hvítá river travels from the glacier

Langjökull, before cascading 32 meters (105 feet)

down Gullfoss’ two stages in a dramatic display of

nature’s raw power. Most visitors see this incredible

site, as it is on the Golden Circle sightseeing route.

Because of the waterfall’s two stages, Gullfoss should

actually be thought of as two separate

features. The first, shorter cascade is 11

meters (36 feet), whilst the second drop is 21

meters (69 feet). The canyon walls on both

sides of the waterfall reach heights of up to

70 meters (230 feet), descending into the

great Gullfossgjúfur canyon. Geologists

believe that this canyon was formed by glacial

outbursts at the beginning of the last age.

In the summer, approximately 140 cubic

meters (459 cubic feet) of water surges down

the waterfall every second, whilst in winter

that number drops to around 109 cubic

meters (358 cubic feet). With such energy,

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visitors should not be surprised to find

themselves drenched by the waterfall’s mighty

spray.

As mentioned, Gullfoss makes up a part of the

highly popular Golden Circle sightseeing route,

alongside Geysir geothermal area and Þingvellir

national park. Many Golden Circle tours include

additional activities that can be taken from

Gullfoss, such as ascending the mighty nearby

glacier Langjökull and entering its ice tunnels,

or snowmobiling along its gleaming surface.

History

In the early days of the last century, Gullfoss

was at the center of much controversy regarding foreign investors and their desire to profit

off Iceland’s nature. In the year 1907, an English businessman, Howell, sought to utilise the

waterfall’s energy and harbored ambitions to use its energy to fuel a hydroelectric plant.

At the time, Gullfoss was owned by a farmer named Tómas Tómasson. Tómas declined

Howell’s offer to purchase the land, stating famously “I will not sell my friend!” He would,

however, go on to lease Howell the land without the knowledge of a loophole that would

allow him to proceed with his plans.

It was Tómas’ daughter, Sigríður Tómasdóttir, who would lead the charge to stop Howell’s

ambitions. Having grown up on her father’s sheep farm where she helped pave the first road

to Gullfoss, she sought to get the contract nullified, hurriedly saving her own money to hire a

lawyer.

The ensuing legal battle was an uphill struggle; the case continued for years, forcing Sigríður

to travel many times by foot to Reykjavík, a distance of over 100 kilometres (62 miles).

Circumstances became so difficult that Sigríður threatened to throw herself into the

waterfall if any construction began.

Her tenacity, however, resulted in success. In 1929, Howell’s withdrew from the lease,

unable to keep up with the costs and difficulties of his plan. The waterfall fell back into the

hands of the Icelandic people.

Today, Sigríður is recognised for her perseverance in protecting Gullfoss and is often hailed

as Iceland’s first environmentalist. As such, she is one of the most famous figures in Iceland’s

history. Her contribution is forever marked in stone; a plaque detailing her plight sits at the

top of Gullfoss.

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Interestingly, the lawyer who assisted Sigríður, Sveinn Björnsson, went on to go down in

history too; he became the first president of Iceland in 1944.

Geyser

Geyser is a famous hot spring in the geothermal area of Haukadalur Valley, found in south-

west Iceland. Making up just one of the attractions along the world-renowned Golden Circle

sightseeing route, alongside Þingvellir National Park and the mighty Gullfoss waterfall, Geysir

is most well-known for having lent its name to geysers all around the world.

Geography Though Geysir itself is rarely active these days, Haukadarlur Valley boasts a plethora of hot

springs and geysers, including the powerful Strokkur, Smiður and Litli-Strokkur. Strokkur is,

arguably, the country’s most famous hot spring, shooting vast jets of boiling water from 20

meters up to 40 meters high. Don’t worry about missing this incredible spectacle of nature,

as Strokkur erupts every five to ten minutes; just make sure to have your camera ready.

At the southern part of the valley, Þykkuhverir, you’ll find various bubbling mud pots. These

spooky brown cauldrons are actually fumaroles that boil up through the loose ground; after

a dry spell, these mud pools are likely to transform into a hardened fumarole.

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Nearby Attractions About two kilometers from

Geysir is a preserved natural

pool called Kúalaug. It has room

for three to five people at a

time, but care should be taken,

as the area around the pool is

very delicate. The temperature is

39-43°C, depending on where

you are positioned in the pool.

The water is slightly muddy, as the pool is built on soil, and the bottom is slippery due to

algae, so caution is advised when relaxing here. Haukadalur has also seen a rise in

reforestation in recent times thanks to continued experiments and research in the area.

Today, Haukadalsskógur is one of the largest forests in south Iceland, boasting accessible

walking paths (also for wheelchair users), fascinating vegetation and The Tree Museum, built

in the memory of forester Gunnar Freysteinsson.

History Haukadalur has been inhabited and used as a church site since the Age of Settlement. Given

its historic value, it should be noted that scholar, Ari “The Wise“ Þorgilsson, grew up here; it

was also where the first pastoral school in Iceland was built.

The current wooden church was last rebuilt in 1938 but its architectural style dates back to

1842, making it well worth a visit to see how Iceland looked before industrialization.

For accommodation, Hotel Gullfoss is approximately 7 kilometer from the Geysir area, and

closer still is Hotel Geysir on the other side of the road from the attraction, where you will

also find a restaurant, café and a souvenir shop.

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How do geysers erupt?

The geysers in Haukadalur are situated in an active geothermal area. Due to underground

plumbing system ground water comes into contact with hot bedrock and heats up, building

pressure. When the water has reached peak temperature and pressure it sprouts out from

the geyser, often up to 30m into the air. The water is around 80-100 degrees so for your own

safety, keep your distance. The geysers are better enjoyed at some distance.

Does it cost to visit Geysir?

You do not have to pay an entrance fee when visiting the Haukadalur geothermal area. You

are encouraged to stay within marked areas and keep away when the geyser erupts,

because the water is extremely hot and can burn.

How to get to Geysir The hot spring area is approximately 100km from Reykjavik, on route 35 or route 37 from

Reykjavik through Thingvellir.

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Day trip Sunday 24 of March

Dyrhólaey (Icelandic for door hill island),

formerly known by seamen as

Cape Portland,is a small

promonotory located on the

south coast of Iceland, not far

from the village Vík. It was

formerly an island of volcanic

origin, which is also known by

the Icelandic word eyja meaning island. The peninsula has an elevation of 120 metres

(390 ft), and the Dyrhólaey lighthouse sits at the top of the formation facing the sea.

The view from Dyrhólaey is broad: To the north is to be seen the big glacier Mýrdalsjökull. To

the east, the black lava columns of the Reynisdrangar come out of the sea, and to the west

the whole coastline in the direction of Selfoss is visible - depending on weather conditions. In

front of the peninsula, there is a gigantic black arch of lava standing in the sea, which gave

the peninsula its name (meaning: door hill island).

In the summertime, many Atlantic puffins can be found nesting on the cliff faces of

Dyrhólaey.

Skógafoss Skógafoss is a waterfall situated on the Skógá

River in the south of Iceland at the cliffs of

the former coastline. After the coastline had

receded seaward (it is now at a distance of

about 5 kilometres (3.1 miles) from Skógar),

the former sea cliffs remained, parallel to the

coast over hundreds of kilometres, creating

together with some mountains a clear border

between the coastal lowlands and the

Highlands of Iceland.

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Sólheimajökull Sólheimajökull is a glacier in southern Iceland, between the volcanoes Katla and

Eijafjallajökkull. Part of the larger Mýrdalsjökull glacier, Sólheimajökull is a prominent and

popular tourist location owing to its size and relative ease of access.

Geology: Sólheimajökull is a part of the larger Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which lies atop the Katla

caldera. The glacier is melting rapidly owing to warmer annual temperatures due to climate

change. It is possible that many of the country's glaciers will become extinct within the next

century.

Gljúfrafoss Gljúfrafoss or Gljúfrabúi ("one who lives in the canyon") is a small waterfall north of the

larger falls of Seljalandsfoss in Iceland. The falls are partially obscured by the cliff rock, but

hikers can follow a trail to enter the narrow canyon where the water plummets to a small

pool. There is also a winding trail nearby and a wooden staircase to enable sightseers to

climb roughly halfway up and view the falls from another perspective.

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Reynisdrangar Reynisdrangar are basalt sea stacks situated under the mountain Reynisfjall near the village

Vík í Mýrdal, southern Iceland which is framed by a black sand beach that was ranked in

1991 as one of the ten most beautiful non-tropical beaches in the world.

Legend says that the stacks originated when two trolls dragged a three-masted ship to land

unsuccessfully and when daylight broke they became needles of rock.

Contemporary legends note the story of a husband who found his wife taken by the two

trolls, frozen at night. The husband made the two trolls swear to never kill anyone ever

again. His wife was the love of his life, whose free spirit he was unable to provide a home

for; she found her fate out among the trolls, rocks, and sea at Reynisfjara.

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Architecture in Reykjavik

There are very different types of architecture in Reykjavik. It is highly recommended to go

for a walk to experience some of these buildings.

The cathedral in Reykjavik

The cathedral in Reykjavík is the seat of the Lutheran bishop in Iceland and the parish church

of the inner city. The church is located at Austurvöllur in the old town in the center of

Reykjavik. Next to the church is the Parliament House (parliament building).

The cathedral was built in 1787, inaugurated in 1796. In 1847 it was restored. The building

includes a baptismal font created and donated by sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen as a gift to his

Icelandic father's country. The church was re-opened in 1879 after extensive restoration

work.

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Alþingishúsið

Alþingishúsið (the Parliament House) is a historic building from the 19th century on the

Austurvöllur square. It houses the Icelandic Parliament Altinget, which is the world's oldest

people's assembly. The house was built in carved diabase, in 1879-81 after drawings by the

Danish architect Ferdinand Meldahl. The extension "Kringlan" was designed by Frederik

Kiørboe in 1908.

The House of Parliament also houses the National Library of Iceland and the Collection of

Antiquities, and later the Icelandic National Gallery. The University of Iceland used the

second floor of the building from 1911 to 1940, and the President of Iceland had his offices

in the building until 1973

Harpa

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Harpa is a concert and opera house. The building houses the Icelandic symphony orchestra

and the Icelandic opera.

Harpa opened in May 2011 and was designed by the Danish architectural firm Henning

Larsen Architects in collaboration with the artist Olafur Eliasson. It is Olafur who drew the

characteristic facade in steel and glass.

Maritime school

The school is situated overlooking the entire reykjavik. It was built in 1944.

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Heilsugæslustöðin - Reykjavik Health Center

The health center is very special with its poles that form bridges as access roads.

It was built in 1957 and was used as a hospital.

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Háteigskirkja – church in Reykjavik

Háteigskirkja was built 1957-1965. In its architecture style the church is very atypical from

other buildings in reykjavik

It is designed by the architect Halldór H. Jónsson.

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EFLA

About EFLA

In northern and modern Icelandic, the word "EFLA" means "strengthening", to "strengthen"

or "reinforce". The name reflects the company's mission of strengthening customers’ ability

to achieve their goals while being a visible and strong player in the development of society.

EFLA's approximately one hundred shareholders are all active and full-time employees of the

company.

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EFLA’s projects

Here are some of the projects they are working on.

You can see all there projects at this website https://www.efla-engineers.com/projects/

Visit at EFLA

They were very kind when we came and was ready, even do we come 15 min. Before

scheduled.

They started by talking about the company and what they worked on and which programs

they were using. Then we got a tour around the building and up the 5th floor to see the

beautiful view.

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Mannvit

About Mannvit

Mannvit is an international consultancy firm in the fields of engineering, technical services

and innovation. The firm employs a dynamic team of experienced engineers and technically

trained employees with diverse experience in most disciplines relating to engineering

services. Mannvit provides reliable and professional consultancy services based on a half

century of knowledge and experience across a wide variety of projects and industries.

They provide services in the fields of engineering, geoscience, environmental studies, IT and

construction material research. They also offer complete project management and EPCM

services. There services are divided into three core fields: renewable energy & transmission;

industry and oil & gas and infrastructure.

Our CSR

Mannvit seeks to evaluate projects regarding sustainability and risk and in that way deliver

social, environmental and economic benefits to its customers. Furthermore, customers are

made aware of their environmental and social impacts and, where possible, offered

solutions that increase sustainability of their projects.

Carbon neutral

Trees are planted to neutralize the carbon footprint of our vehicles.

UN Global Compact

Mannvit is part of the UN Global Compact, and puts specific measurable goals forward that

are revised annually in order to ensure continual improvement.

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Mannvit’s projects

Here are some of the projects they are working on

You can see all there projects at this website http://www.mannvit.com/projects/

Visit at Mannvit

They were very kind and was ready when we came.

They started by talking about the company and what they worked on and which programs

they were using and showed some of the projects they were working on. Then we got a tour

around the building.

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Arkís

About Arkís

ARKÍS architects is a progressive design partnership practicing architecture, design, planning

and green design consultancy. ARKÍS was founded in 1997, but from the firm’s founding

ARKÍS architects have executed projects at various scales and levels of complexity, both in

Iceland and internationally, for institutional, private, and civic clients.

ARKÍS architects are driven by the pursuit of quality and the belief that the built environment

has the inherent potential to improve the quality of our lives. Moreover, ARKÍS architects are

committed to sustainable design practices.

ARKÍS architects are the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Recent works include the

Icelandic Institute of Natural History, Snaefellsstofa Visitor Center, the University of

Reykjavik and the Smaratorg Office Tower.

The office of ARKÍS architects is located in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Standards

ARKÍS architects operate a quality management system that fulfils the requirements

in ÍST EN ISO 9001:2008 for design and consultation in the fields of architecture and

planning.

ARKÍS offers environmental assessments and consultation based on the BREEAM

assessment method. ARKÍS' employees are licensed assessors for buildings under the

BREEAM International standard, and for planning under BREEAM Communities.

ARKÍS architects are licensed by DIBK to perform architectural services in Norway:

„sentral godkjenning for ansvarsrett for prosjektering av Arkitektur i tiltaksklasse 3

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ARKÍS architects are members of Nordic Built, a Nordic initiative to accelerate the

development of sustainable building concepts.

ARKÍS architects are members of Prism Environment.

ARKÍS architects are members of the Icelandic Green Building Council.

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Arkís’s projects

Here are some of the projects Arkís is working on.

You can see all there projects at this website http://www.ark.is/en/projects/

Visit at Arkís

They were very kind and was ready when we came.

They by showing a PowerPoint where they talked about the company and what they worked

on and showed some of the projects. While they talked, we got some snacks and drinks.

Then we got a tour around the building.

That was all our company visits.

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Þingvellir Þingvellir (Icelandic: [ˈθiŋkˌvɛtlɪr̥]), anglicised as Thingvellir, is a national park in the municipality of Bláskógabyggð in southwestern Iceland, about 40 km northeast of Iceland's capital, Reykjavik. Þingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological significance, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. The park lies in a rift valley that marks the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasiantectonic plates. To its south lies Þingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

Þingvellir is associated with the Althing, the national parliament of Iceland, which was established at the site in 930 AD. Sessions were held at the location until 1798.

Þingvellir National Park (þjóðgarðurinn á Þingvöllum) was founded in 1930, marking the 1000th anniversary of the Althing. The park was later expanded to protect the diverse and natural phenomena in the surrounding area, and was designated as a World Hertage Aite in 2004.

Toponymy

The name Þingvellir is derived from the Old Norse Þingvǫllr, from þing (“thing, assembly”) and vǫllr (“field”), meaning assembly fields. Compare the English thing and weald (“Thingweald”) from Anglo-Saxon þing and weald. The site takes its name from Alþing (Althing), the national parliament of Iceland, which was founded at Þingvellir in 930 and held its sessions there until 1798. A thing was a form of governing assembly found in Germanic societies, and a tradition that endures to this day in one form or another across Northern Europe.

Although the name Þingvellir is plural, the older form Þingvǫllr is singular, and the modern singular form Þingvöllur can still be heard.

The name is most commonly anglicised as Thingvellir, and might appear as Tingvellir, Thingvalla or Tingvalla in other languages. The spelling Pingvellir is also seen, although the letter “p” does not correspond to the letter “þ” (thorn), which is pronounced, like the th in thirst.

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Dingwall and Tingwall in Scotland, Thingwall in England, Tynwald on the Isle of Man,

and Tingvoll in Norway bear names of the same rout and mening.

History

Þingvellir became a national park as a result of legislation passed in 1928 to protect the remains of the parliament site, thus creating the first national park in Iceland. The park was decreed "a protected national shrine for all Icelanders, the perpetual property of the Icelandic nation under the preservation of parliament, never to be sold or mortgaged."

Founding of Iceland's parliament

According to the Book of Settlements (Landnámabók), the settlement of Iceland began in AD 874 when the Norwegian chieftain Ingólfr Arnarson became the first permanent Norwegian settler on the island. Over the next centuries, people of Norse and Celtic origin settled in Iceland. Early on, district assemblies were formed, but as the population grew, there was a need for a general assembly. The descendants of Ingólfur who dominated the region of southwest Iceland had become the most powerful family in the country, and other chieftains felt a need for a general assembly to limit their power.

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Grímur Geitskör was allotted the role of rallying support and finding a suitable location for the assembly. At about the same time, the owner of Bláskógar (the contemporary name for the Þingvellir region) was found guilty of murder. His land was declared public, and then obligated to be used for assembly proceedings, and the building of temporary dwellings, and the forest to be used for kindling and the grazing of horses. The Þingvellir area was chosen for this reason and for its accessibility to the most populous regions of the north, south and west. The longest journey a goði (chieftain) had to travel was 17 days, from the easternmost part of the country where mountains and glacial rivers proved bothersome obstacles.

The foundation of the Icelandic parliament is said to be the founding of the nation of Iceland, and the first parliamentary proceedings in the summer of 930 laid the ground for a common cultural heritage and national identity. Þingvellir played a central role in the history of the country, and its history runs almost parallel with the history of the Icelandic Commonwealth.

From commonwealth to foreign rule

The Alþingi (assembly) at Þingvellir was Iceland's supreme legislative and judicial authority from its establishment in 930 until 1271. The Lögberg or Law Rock was the focal point of the Alþingi and a natural platform for holding speeches. The Lawspeaker, elected for three years at a time, presided over the assembly and recited the law of the land. Before the law was written down, he was expected to recite it from memory on the Lögberg over the course of three summers along with the complete assembly procedures every summer. Inauguration and dissolution of the assembly took place at the Lögberg, where rulings made by the Law Council were announced, the calendar was confirmed, legal actions were brought and other announcements made which concerned the entire nation. Anyone attending the assembly was entitled to present his case on important issues from the Lögberg.

The Law Council served as both parliament and supreme court. Laws were passed and approved there, and rulings made on points of law. The Law Council appointed members of the Fifth Court (a kind of appellate court) and the Lawspeaker, and took part in the election

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of the bishop. Unlike the Alþingi, the Law Council was a closed body in which only certain people enjoyed full rights: chieftains who held the office of goði, their Þingmen and later also bishops. However, everyone at the assembly was entitled to watch and listen to the Law Council at work.

From the earliest times until the 15th century, the Law Council met at Neðri-Vellir on the east bank of Öxará, but when the river changed its course around 1500, the council was moved to an islet in the river. In 1594, the Law Council was relocated to the foot of the ancient Law Rock, where it remained until the Alþingi was finally transferred from it in 1798.

The Alþingi was Iceland's legislative and chief judicial authority for the duration of the Commonwealth, until 1271. Executive power was in the hands of the chieftains and parties to individual cases. This proved to be quite an adequate arrangement for as long as the balance of power remained, but flaws emerged when it was disrupted.

In the final decades of the Commonwealth, there were clashes between chieftain families, which resulted in Iceland coming under the Norwegian crown. Executive power was strengthened under this new order, while legislative and judicial authority at first remained in the hands of the Alþingi, but was gradually transferred to the Norwegian and later the Danish rulers, until in 1662, the King of Denmark became the absolute monarch of Iceland.

Social centrex

Þingvellir was the centre of Icelandic culture. Every year during the Commonwealth period, people would flock to Þingvellir from all over the country, sometimes numbering in the thousands.

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They set up temporary dwellings (búð, pl. búðir) with walls of turf and rock and temporary roofing of homespun cloth, and stayed in them for the two weeks of the assembly. There were no permanent buildings on Þingvellir apart from a farm and, later, two churches.

Although the duties of the assembly were the main reason for going there, ordinary people gathered at Þingvellir for a wide variety of reasons. Merchants, sword-sharpeners, and tanners would sell their goods and services, entertainers performed, and ale-makers brewed drinks for the assembly guests. News was told from distant parts; games and feasts were held. Young people met to make their plans, no less than leading national figures and experts in law. Itinerant farmhands looked for work and vagrants begged. Þingvellir was a meeting place for everyone in Iceland, laying the foundation for the language and literature that have been a prominent part of people's lives right up to the present day.

Nationalist symbol

During the 19th century, Þingvellir emerged as a nationalist symbol. According to Icelandic

political scientist Birgir Hermannsson, "Thingvellir can be likened to a church or building

which serves as a pilgrimage destination and as a site for the nation-state’s ritual

ceremonies."